Yesterday was a decadent day. The day started with Breakfast at the American Bar in Hale. Let’s talk about their breakfasts for a minute. My personal opinion is that they currently serve the best breakfast in the Altrincham/Hale area, although the service is generally lacking and slow. Their eggs benedict is excellent, although I do find it rather strange that it is served with garden salad … for breakfast! Tim generally has the full English, which he said was very good. Other options are ‘Canadian breakfast’, which I do like and Lisa of course had a stack of pancakes (crumpets for the South Africans out there) with maple syrup which she had served up with a side order of bacon. I don’t think I could have done that that early in the morning though.

Eggs benedict is my most favourite breakfast ever, but I am fussy. The hollandaise sauce must be warm, not cold. The eggs absolutely have to be poached and the egg whites firm. Canadian ham should definitely be used and not substituted by bacon.

When I first moved to Altrincham, there was a little cafe called ‘Eat Cafe’ in Altrincham which served the best Eggs Benedict I have ever eaten. Unfortunately they changed hands and with it the way they made their Eggs benedict. Finally they closed their doors …

Ever since then I have been on a quest for good Eggs benedict, but alas! I am generally disappointed. I have found one other close contender: The Slug and Lettuce in Altrincham. Their drawback is that they only open at noon – a little late for breakfast. The American Bar squeezes in at 11.00 am, making it a little more breaksfast and a little more lunch.

Let’s hope their Eggs benedict chef stays on!